Testing framework for automation objects

ABSTRACT

An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) supports a testing framework that verifies operation of all aspects of the project (e.g., controller code, HMI screens or other visualizations, panel layouts, wiring schedules, etc.). As part of this testing framework, automation objects supported by the industrial IDE include associated test scripts designed to execute one or more test scenarios appropriate to the type of automation object or project being tested. Test scripts can also be associated with portions of the system project. The testing platform applies testing to the automation project as a whole in a holistic manner rather than to specific portions of a control program, verifying linkages across design platforms (e.g., control code, visualization, panel layouts, wiring, piping, etc.) that may otherwise not be tested.

BACKGROUND

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to industrialautomation systems, and, for example, to industrial programmingdevelopment platforms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects described herein. This summary is not anextensive overview nor is intended to identify key/critical elements orto delineate the scope of the various aspects described herein. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

In one or more embodiments, a system for developing industrialapplications is provided, comprising a user interface componentconfigured to render integrated development environment (IDE) interfacesand to receive, via interaction with the IDE interfaces, industrialdesign input that defines aspects of an industrial automation project; aproject generation component configured to generate system project databased on the industrial design input, wherein the system project datadefines a system project comprising at least one of an executableindustrial control program, an industrial visualization application, orindustrial device configuration data, and the system project datafurther comprises automation objects that represent respectiveindustrial assets and have respective test scripts associated therewith;and a project testing component configured to execute one or more of thetest scripts to facilitate validation of the system project data.

Also, one or more embodiments provide a method for developing industrialapplications, comprising rendering, by a system comprising a processor,integrated development environment (IDE) interfaces on a client device;receiving, by the system via interaction with the IDE interfaces,industrial design input that defines aspects of an industrial controland monitoring project; generating, by the system, system project databased on the industrial design input, wherein the generating comprisesgenerating at least one of an executable industrial control program, anindustrial visualization application, or industrial device configurationdata, and the system project data comprises automation objects thatrepresent respective industrial assets and have associated therewithrespective test scripts; and executing, by the system, one or more ofthe test scripts against the system project data to facilitatevalidation of the system project data.

Also, according to one or more embodiments, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium is provided having stored thereon instructionsthat, in response to execution, cause a system to perform operations,the operations comprising rendering integrated development environment(IDE) interfaces on a client device; receiving, from the client devicevia interaction with the IDE interfaces, industrial design input thatdefines control design aspects of an industrial automation project;generating system project data based on the industrial design input,wherein the generating comprises generating at least one of anexecutable industrial control program, an industrial visualizationapplication, or industrial device configuration data, and the systemproject data comprises automation objects that represent respectiveindustrial assets and have respective test scripts associated therewith;and executing one or more of the test scripts against the system projectdata to facilitate validation of the system project data.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certainillustrative aspects are described herein in connection with thefollowing description and the annexed drawings. These aspects areindicative of various ways which can be practiced, all of which areintended to be covered herein. Other advantages and novel features maybecome apparent from the following detailed description when consideredin conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example industrial control environment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example integrated developmentenvironment (IDE) system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a generalized architecture of anindustrial IDE system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating several example automation objectproperties that can be leveraged by the IDE system in connection withbuilding, deploying, and executing a system project.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating example data flows associated withcreation of a system project for an automation system being designedusing an industrial IDE system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example system project thatincorporates automation objects into a project model.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating commissioning of a system project.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example architecture in whichcloud-based IDE services are used to develop and deploy industrialapplications to a plant environment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating testing of an example system project byan IDE system's project testing component.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating creation of custom test scripts forvalidating a system project.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating project interdependency analysisperformed by an IDE system.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating generation of context-based testscripts based on an analysis of a system project's properties.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example methodology for validating anindustrial automation system project.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of an example methodology for customizing andexecuting test scrips for validating an industrial control systemproject.

FIG. 15a is a flowchart of a first part of an example methodology forgenerating and executing context-based test scripts for an industrialautomation system project.

FIG. 15b is a flowchart of a second part of the example methodology forgenerating and executing context-based test scripts for an industrialautomation system project.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of an example methodology for generating andexecuting context-based test scripts for an industrial automation systemproject.

FIG. 17 is an example computing environment.

FIG. 18 is an example networking environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure is now described with reference to the drawings,wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elementsthroughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the subjectdisclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to facilitate a description thereof.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “system,”“platform,” “layer,” “controller,” “terminal,” “station,” “node,”“interface” are intended to refer to a computer-related entity or anentity related to, or that is part of, an operational apparatus with oneor more specific functionalities, wherein such entities can be eitherhardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or softwarein execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited tobeing, a process running on a processor, a processor, a hard disk drive,multiple storage drives (of optical or magnetic storage medium)including affixed (e.g., screwed or bolted) or removable affixedsolid-state storage drives; an object; an executable; a thread ofexecution; a computer-executable program, and/or a computer. By way ofillustration, both an application running on a server and the server canbe a component. One or more components can reside within a processand/or thread of execution, and a component can be localized on onecomputer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Also,components as described herein can execute from various computerreadable storage media having various data structures stored thereon.The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such asin accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., datafrom one component interacting with another component in a local system,distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet withother systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be anapparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical partsoperated by electric or electronic circuitry which is operated by asoftware or a firmware application executed by a processor, wherein theprocessor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes atleast a part of the software or firmware application. As yet anotherexample, a component can be an apparatus that provides specificfunctionality through electronic components without mechanical parts,the electronic components can include a processor therein to executesoftware or firmware that provides at least in part the functionality ofthe electronic components. As further yet another example, interface(s)can include input/output (I/O) components as well as associatedprocessor, application, or Application Programming Interface (API)components. While the foregoing examples are directed to aspects of acomponent, the exemplified aspects or features also apply to a system,platform, interface, layer, controller, terminal, and the like.

As used herein, the terms “to infer” and “inference” refer generally tothe process of reasoning about or inferring states of the system,environment, and/or user from a set of observations as captured viaevents and/or data. Inference can be employed to identify a specificcontext or action, or can generate a probability distribution overstates, for example. The inference can be probabilistic—that is, thecomputation of a probability distribution over states of interest basedon a consideration of data and events. Inference can also refer totechniques employed for composing higher-level events from a set ofevents and/or data. Such inference results in the construction of newevents or actions from a set of observed events and/or stored eventdata, whether or not the events are correlated in close temporalproximity, and whether the events and data come from one or severalevent and data sources.

In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” ratherthan an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clearfrom the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean anyof the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs Aor B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; Xemploys B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and“an” as used in this application and the appended claims shouldgenerally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwiseor clear from the context to be directed to a singular form.

Furthermore, the term “set” as employed herein excludes the empty set;e.g., the set with no elements therein. Thus, a “set” in the subjectdisclosure includes one or more elements or entities. As anillustration, a set of controllers includes one or more controllers; aset of data resources includes one or more data resources; etc.Likewise, the term “group” as utilized herein refers to a collection ofone or more entities; e.g., a group of nodes refers to one or morenodes.

Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems thatmay include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. Itis to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may includeadditional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include allof the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection withthe figures. A combination of these approaches also can be used.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example industrial control environment100. In this example, a number of industrial controllers 118 aredeployed throughout an industrial plant environment to monitor andcontrol respective industrial systems or processes relating to productmanufacture, machining, motion control, batch processing, materialhandling, or other such industrial functions. Industrial controllers 118typically execute respective control programs to facilitate monitoringand control of industrial devices 120 making up the controlledindustrial assets or systems (e.g., industrial machines). One or moreindustrial controllers 118 may also comprise a soft controller executedon a personal computer or other hardware platform, or on a cloudplatform. Some hybrid devices may also combine controller functionalitywith other functions (e.g., visualization). The control programsexecuted by industrial controllers 118 can comprise substantially anytype of code capable of processing input signals read from theindustrial devices 120 and controlling output signals generated by theindustrial controllers 118, including but not limited to ladder logic,sequential function charts, function block diagrams, or structured text.

Industrial devices 120 may include both input devices that provide datarelating to the controlled industrial systems to the industrialcontrollers 118, and output devices that respond to control signalsgenerated by the industrial controllers 118 to control aspects of theindustrial systems. Example input devices can include telemetry devices(e.g., temperature sensors, flow meters, level sensors, pressuresensors, etc.), manual operator control devices (e.g., push buttons,selector switches, etc.), safety monitoring devices (e.g., safety mats,safety pull cords, light curtains, etc.), and other such devices. Outputdevices may include motor drives, pneumatic actuators, signalingdevices, robot control inputs, valves, pumps, and the like.

Industrial controllers 118 may communicatively interface with industrialdevices 120 over hardwired or networked connections. For example,industrial controllers 118 can be equipped with native hardwired inputsand outputs that communicate with the industrial devices 120 to effectcontrol of the devices. The native controller I/O can include digitalI/O that transmits and receives discrete voltage signals to and from thefield devices, or analog I/O that transmits and receives analog voltageor current signals to and from the devices. The controller I/O cancommunicate with a controller's processor over a backplane such that thedigital and analog signals can be read into and controlled by thecontrol programs. Industrial controllers 118 can also communicate withindustrial devices 120 over a network using, for example, acommunication module or an integrated networking port. Exemplarynetworks can include the Internet, intranets, Ethernet, DeviceNet,ControlNet, Data Highway and Data Highway Plus (DH/DH+), Remote I/O,Fieldbus, Modbus, Profibus, wireless networks, serial protocols, and thelike. The industrial controllers 118 can also store persisted datavalues that can be referenced by their associated control programs andused for control decisions, including but not limited to measured orcalculated values representing operational states of a controlledmachine or process (e.g., tank levels, positions, alarms, etc.) orcaptured time series data that is collected during operation of theautomation system (e.g., status information for multiple points in time,diagnostic occurrences, etc.). Similarly, some intelligentdevices—including but not limited to motor drives, instruments, orcondition monitoring modules—may store data values that are used forcontrol and/or to visualize states of operation. Such devices may alsocapture time-series data or events on a log for later retrieval andviewing.

Industrial automation systems often include one or more human-machineinterfaces (HMIs) 114 that allow plant personnel to view telemetry andstatus data associated with the automation systems, and to control someaspects of system operation. HMIs 114 may communicate with one or moreof the industrial controllers 118 over a plant network 116, and exchangedata with the industrial controllers to facilitate visualization ofinformation relating to the controlled industrial processes on one ormore pre-developed operator interface screens. HMIs 114 can also beconfigured to allow operators to submit data to specified data tags ormemory addresses of the industrial controllers 118, thereby providing ameans for operators to issue commands to the controlled systems (e.g.,cycle start commands, device actuation commands, etc.), to modifysetpoint values, etc. HMIs 114 can generate one or more display screensthrough which the operator interacts with the industrial controllers118, and thereby with the controlled processes and/or systems. Exampledisplay screens can visualize present states of industrial systems ortheir associated devices using graphical representations of theprocesses that display metered or calculated values, employ color orposition animations based on state, render alarm notifications, oremploy other such techniques for presenting relevant data to theoperator. Data presented in this manner is read from industrialcontrollers 118 by HMIs 114 and presented on one or more of the displayscreens according to display formats chosen by the HMI developer. HMIsmay comprise fixed location or mobile devices with either user-installedor pre-installed operating systems, and either user-installed orpre-installed graphical application software.

Some industrial environments may also include other systems or devicesrelating to specific aspects of the controlled industrial systems. Thesemay include, for example, a data historian 110 that aggregates andstores production information collected from the industrial controllers118 or other data sources, device documentation stores containingelectronic documentation for the various industrial devices making upthe controlled industrial systems, inventory tracking systems, workorder management systems, repositories for machine or process drawingsand documentation, vendor product documentation storage, vendorknowledgebases, internal knowledgebases, work scheduling applications,or other such systems, some or all of which may reside on an officenetwork 108 of the industrial environment.

Higher-level systems 126 may carry out functions that are less directlyrelated to control of the industrial automation systems on the plantfloor, and instead are directed to long term planning, high-levelsupervisory control, analytics, reporting, or other such high-levelfunctions. These systems 126 may reside on the office network 108 at anexternal location relative to the plant facility, or on a cloud platformwith access to the office and/or plant networks. Higher-level systems126 may include, but are not limited to, cloud storage and analysissystems, big data analysis systems, manufacturing execution systems,data lakes, reporting systems, etc. In some scenarios, applicationsrunning at these higher levels of the enterprise may be configured toanalyze control system operational data, and the results of thisanalysis may be fed back to an operator at the control system ordirectly to a controller 118 or device 120 in the control system.

The various control, monitoring, and analytical devices that make up anindustrial environment must be programmed or configured using respectiveconfiguration applications specific to each device. For example,industrial controllers 118 are typically configured and programmed usinga control programming development application such as a ladder logiceditor (e.g., executing on a client device 124). Using such developmentplatforms, a designer can write control programming (e.g., ladder logic,structured text, function block diagrams, etc.) for carrying out adesired industrial sequence or process and download the resultingprogram files to the controller 118. Separately, developers designvisualization screens and associated navigation structures for HMIs 114using an HMI development platform (e.g., executing on client device 122)and download the resulting visualization files to the HMI 114. Someindustrial devices 120—such as motor drives, telemetry devices, safetyinput devices, etc.—may also require configuration using separate deviceconfiguration tools (e.g., executing on client device 128) that arespecific to the device being configured. Such device configuration toolsmay be used to set device parameters or operating modes (e.g., high/lowlimits, output signal formats, scale factors, energy consumption modes,etc.).

The necessity of using separate configuration tools to program andconfigure disparate aspects of an industrial automation system resultsin a piecemeal design approach whereby different but related oroverlapping aspects of an automation system are designed, configured,and programmed separately on different development environments. Forexample, a motion control system may require an industrial controller tobe programmed and a control loop to be tuned using a control logicprogramming platform, a motor drive to be configured using anotherconfiguration platform, and an associated HMI to be programmed using avisualization development platform. Related peripheral systems—such asvision systems, safety systems, etc.—may also require configurationusing separate programming or development applications.

This segregated development approach can also necessitate considerabletesting and debugging efforts to ensure proper integration of theseparately configured system aspects. In this regard, intended datainterfacing or coordinated actions between the different system aspectsmay require significant debugging due to a failure to properlycoordinate disparate programming efforts.

Moreover, as part of conventional automation system project development,test scripts often have to be written to test and debug control code.For example, if control programming for a pump or other type ofindustrial asset is added to a project, a test script (e.g., a Pythonscript) may be written to inject test data into the control program andassess the response. This project testing approach can be costly interms of man-hours, since a team of people may be required to managethis manual testing and debugging and to run through all possibletesting scenarios. This approach may also result in inadequately testedcontrol code since some test scenarios may be missed (e.g., if debuggersonly test selected portions of the control code), and consequently codethat was ostensibly tested may not work in the field.

To address at least some of these or other issues, one or moreembodiments described herein provide an integrated developmentenvironment (IDE) for designing, programming, and configuring multipleaspects of an industrial automation system using a common designenvironment and data model. Embodiments of the industrial IDE can beused to configure and manage automation system devices in a common way,facilitating integrated, multi-discipline programming of control,visualization, and other aspects of the control system.

In general, the industrial IDE supports features that span the fullautomation lifecycle, including design (e.g., device selection andsizing, controller programming, visualization development, deviceconfiguration, testing, etc.); installation, configuration andcommissioning; operation, improvement, and administration; andtroubleshooting, expanding, and upgrading.

Embodiments of the industrial IDE can include a library of modular codeand visualizations that are specific to industry verticals and commonindustrial applications within those verticals. These code andvisualization modules can simplify development and shorten thedevelopment cycle, while also supporting consistency and reuse across anindustrial enterprise.

In some embodiments, the industrial IDE can also support a testingframework for automation that verifies operation of all aspects of theproject (e.g., controller code, HMI screens or other visualizations,panel layouts, wiring schedules, etc.). As part of this testingframework, automation objects supported by the industrial IDE caninclude associated test scripts designed to execute one or more testscenarios appropriate to the type of automation object being tested.Test scripts can also be associated with portions of the system project.In general, the testing platform applies testing to the automationproject as a whole in a holistic manner, rather than to specificportions of a control program, verifying linkages across designplatforms (e.g., control code, visualization, panel layouts, wiring,piping, etc.) that may otherwise not be tested.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example integrated developmentenvironment (IDE) system 202 according to one or more embodiments ofthis disclosure. Aspects of the systems, apparatuses, or processesexplained in this disclosure can constitute machine-executablecomponents embodied within machine(s), e.g., embodied in one or morecomputer-readable mediums (or media) associated with one or moremachines. Such components, when executed by one or more machines, e.g.,computer(s), computing device(s), automation device(s), virtualmachine(s), etc., can cause the machine(s) to perform the operationsdescribed.

IDE system 202 can include a user interface component 204 including anIDE editor 224, a project generation component 206, a project deploymentcomponent 208, a project testing component 210, a test scriptingcomponent 212, a project analysis component 214, one or more processors218, and memory 220. In various embodiments, one or more of the userinterface component 204, project generation component 206, projectdeployment component 208, project testing component 210, test scriptingcomponent 212, project analysis component 214, the one or moreprocessors 218, and memory 220 can be electrically and/orcommunicatively coupled to one another to perform one or more of thefunctions of the IDE system 202. In some embodiments, components 204,206, 208, 210, 212, and 214 can comprise software instructions stored onmemory 220 and executed by processor(s) 218. IDE system 202 may alsointeract with other hardware and/or software components not depicted inFIG. 2. For example, processor(s) 218 may interact with one or moreexternal user interface devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a displaymonitor, a touchscreen, or other such interface devices.

User interface component 204 can be configured to receive user input andto render output to the user in any suitable format (e.g., visual,audio, tactile, etc.). In some embodiments, user interface component 204can be configured to communicatively interface with an IDE client thatexecutes on a client device (e.g., a laptop computer, tablet computer,smart phone, etc.) that is communicatively connected to the IDE system202 (e.g., via a hardwired or wireless connection). The user interfacecomponent 204 can then receive user input data and render output datavia the IDE client. In other embodiments, user interface component 314can be configured to generate and serve suitable interface screens to aclient device (e.g., program development screens), and exchange data viathese interface screens. Input data that can be received via variousembodiments of user interface component 204 can include, but is notlimited to, programming code, industrial design specifications or goals,engineering drawings, AR/VR input, DSL definitions, video or image data,project testing scripts, or other such input. Output data rendered byvarious embodiments of user interface component 204 can include programcode, programming feedback (e.g., error and highlighting, codingsuggestions, etc.), programming and visualization development screens,project testing results, etc.

Project generation component 206 can be configured to create a systemproject comprising one or more project files based on design inputreceived via the user interface component 204, as well as industrialknowledge, predefined code modules and visualizations, and automationobjects 222 maintained by the IDE system 202. Project deploymentcomponent 208 can be configured to commission the system project createdby the project generation component 206 to appropriate industrialdevices (e.g., controllers, HMI terminals, motor drives, AR/VR systems,etc.) for execution. To this end, project deployment component 208 canidentify the appropriate target devices to which respective portions ofthe system project should be sent for execution, translate theserespective portions to formats understandable by the target devices, anddeploy the translated project components to their corresponding devices.

Project testing component 210 can be configured to execute testingscripts associated with automation objects 222 or other elements of thesystem project to validate proper execution of various aspects of theproject. Test scripting component 212 can be configured to add or modifycustom test scripts in accordance with user input and associate thesetest scripts with indicated automation objects or project elements.Project analysis component 214 can be configured to analyze a systemproject as a whole to identify dependencies between project elements forthe purposes of generating and executing appropriate test scripts onrelated portions of the system project.

The one or more processors 218 can perform one or more of the functionsdescribed herein with reference to the systems and/or methods disclosed.Memory 220 can be a computer-readable storage medium storingcomputer-executable instructions and/or information for performing thefunctions described herein with reference to the systems and/or methodsdisclosed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a generalized architecture of theindustrial IDE system 202 according to one or more embodiments.Industrial IDE system 202 can implement a common set of services andworkflows spanning not only design, but also commissioning, operation,and maintenance. In terms of design, the IDE system 202 can support notonly industrial controller programming and HMI development, but alsosizing and selection of system components, device/system configuration,AR/VR visualizations, and other features. The IDE system 202 can alsoinclude tools that simplify and automate commissioning of the resultingproject and assist with subsequent administration of the deployed systemduring runtime.

Embodiments of the IDE system 202 that are implemented on a cloudplatform also facilitate collaborative project development wherebymultiple developers 304 contribute design and programming input to acommon automation system project 302. Collaborative tools supported bythe IDE system can manage design contributions from the multiplecontributors and perform version control of the aggregate system project302 to ensure project consistency.

Based on design and programming input from one or more developers 304,IDE system 202 generates a system project 302 comprising one or moreproject files. The system project 302 encodes one or more of controlprogramming; HMI, AR, and/or VR visualizations; device or sub-systemconfiguration data (e.g., drive parameters, vision systemconfigurations, telemetry device parameters, safety zone definitions,etc.); or other such aspects of an industrial automation system beingdesigned. IDE system 202 can identify the appropriate target devices 306on which respective aspects of the system project 302 should be executed(e.g., industrial controllers, HMI terminals, variable frequency drives,safety devices, etc.), translate the system project 302 to executablefiles that can be executed on the respective target devices, and deploythe executable files to their corresponding target devices 306 forexecution, thereby commissioning the system project 302 to the plantfloor for implementation of the automation project.

To support enhanced development capabilities, some embodiments of IDEsystem 202 can be built on an object-based data model rather than atag-based architecture. Automation objects 222 serve as the buildingblock for this object-based development architecture. FIG. 4 is adiagram illustrating several example automation object properties thatcan be leveraged by the IDE system 202 in connection with building,deploying, and executing a system project 302. Automation objects 222can be created and augmented during design, integrated into larger datamodels, and consumed during runtime. These automation objects 222provide a common data structure across the IDE system 202 and can bestored in an object library (e.g., part of memory 220) for reuse. Theobject library can store predefined automation objects 222 representingvarious classifications of real-world industrial assets 402, includingbut not limited to pumps, tanks, values, motors, motor drives (e.g.,variable frequency drives), industrial robots, actuators (e.g.,pneumatic or hydraulic actuators), or other such assets. Automationobjects 222 can represent elements at substantially any level of anindustrial enterprise, including individual devices, machines made up ofmany industrial devices and components (some of which may be associatedwith their own automation objects 222), and entire production lines orprocess control systems.

An automation object 222 for a given type of industrial asset can encodesuch aspects as 2D or 3D visualizations, alarms, control coding (e.g.,logic or other type of control programming), analytics, startupprocedures, testing protocols and scripts, validation reports,simulations, schematics, security protocols, and other such propertiesassociated with the industrial asset 402 represented by the object 222.Automation objects 222 can also be geotagged with location informationidentifying the location of the associated asset. During runtime of thesystem project 302, the automation object 222 corresponding to a givenreal-world asset 402 can also record status or operational history datafor the asset. In general, automation objects 222 serve as programmaticrepresentations of their corresponding industrial assets 402, and can beincorporated into a system project 302 as elements of control code, a 2Dor 3D visualization, a knowledgebase or maintenance guidance system forthe industrial assets, or other such aspects.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating example data flows associated withcreation of a system project 302 for an automation system being designedusing IDE system 202 according to one or more embodiments. A clientdevice 504 (e.g., a laptop computer, tablet computer, desktop computer,mobile device, wearable AR/VR appliance, etc.) executing an IDE clientapplication 514 can access the IDE system's project development toolsand leverage these tools to create a comprehensive system project 302for an automation system being developed. Through interaction with thesystem's user interface component 204, developers can submit designinput 512 to the IDE system 202 in various supported formats, includingindustry-specific control programming (e.g., control logic, structuredtext, sequential function charts, etc.) and HMI screen configurationinput. Based on this design input 512 and information stored in anindustry knowledgebase (predefined code modules 508 and visualizations510, guardrail templates 506, physics-based rules 516, etc.), userinterface component 204 renders design feedback 518 designed to assistthe developer in connection with developing a system project 302 forconfiguration, control, and visualization of an industrial automationsystem.

In addition to control programming and visualization definitions, someembodiments of IDE system 202 can be configured to receive digitalengineering drawings (e.g., computer-aided design (CAD) files) as designinput 512. In such embodiments, project generation component 206 cangenerate portions of the system project 302—e.g., by automaticallygenerating control and/or visualization code—based on analysis ofexisting design drawings. Drawings that can be submitted as design input512 can include, but are not limited to, P&ID drawings, mechanicaldrawings, flow diagrams, or other such documents. For example, a P&IDdrawing can be imported into the IDE system 202, and project generationcomponent 206 can identify elements (e.g., tanks, pumps, etc.) andrelationships therebetween conveyed by the drawings. Project generationcomponent 206 can associate or map elements identified in the drawingswith appropriate automation objects 222 corresponding to these elements(e.g., tanks, pumps, etc.) and add these automation objects 222 to thesystem project 302. The device-specific and asset-specific automationobjects 222 include suitable code and visualizations to be associatedwith the elements identified in the drawings. In general, the IDE system202 can examine one or more different types of drawings (mechanical,electrical, piping, etc.) to determine relationships between devices,machines, and/or assets (including identifying common elements acrossdifferent drawings) and intelligently associate these elements withappropriate automation objects 222, code modules 508, and/orvisualizations 510. The IDE system 202 can leverage physics-based rules516 as well as pre-defined code modules 508 and visualizations 510 asnecessary in connection with generating code or project data for systemproject 302.

The IDE system 202 can also determine whether pre-defined visualizationcontent is available for any of the objects discovered in the drawingsand generate appropriate HMI screens or AR/VR content for the discoveredobjects based on these pre-defined visualizations. To this end, the IDEsystem 202 can store industry-specific, asset-specific, and/orapplication-specific visualizations 510 that can be accessed by theproject generation component 206 as needed. These visualizations 510 canbe classified according to industry or industrial vertical (e.g.,automotive, food and drug, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, etc.), type ofindustrial asset (e.g., a type of machine or industrial device), a typeof industrial application (e.g., batch processing, flow control, webtension control, sheet metal stamping, water treatment, etc.), or othersuch categories. Predefined visualizations 510 can comprisevisualizations in a variety of formats, including but not limited to HMIscreens or windows, mashups that aggregate data from multiplepre-specified sources, AR overlays, VR objects representing 3Dvirtualizations of the associated industrial asset, or other suchvisualization formats. IDE system 202 can select a suitablevisualization for a given object based on a predefined associationbetween the object type and the visualization content.

In another example, markings applied to an engineering drawing by a usercan be understood by some embodiments of the project generationcomponent 206 to convey a specific design intention or parameter. Forexample, a marking in red pen can be understood to indicate a safetyzone, two circles connected by a dashed line can be interpreted as agearing relationship, and a bold line may indicate a cammingrelationship. In this way, a designer can sketch out design goals on anexisting drawing in a manner that can be understood and leveraged by theIDE system 202 to generate code and visualizations. In another example,the project generation component 206 can learn permissives andinterlocks (e.g., valves and their associated states) that serve asnecessary preconditions for starting a machine based on analysis of theuser's CAD drawings. Project generation component 206 can generate anysuitable code (ladder logic, function blocks, etc.), deviceconfigurations, and visualizations based on analysis of these drawingsand markings for incorporation into system project 302. In someembodiments, user interface component 204 can include design tools fordeveloping engineering drawings within the IDE platform itself, and theproject generation component 206 can generate this code as a backgroundprocess as the user is creating the drawings for a new project. In someembodiments, project generation component 206 can also translate statemachine drawings to a corresponding programming sequence, yielding atleast skeletal code that can be enhanced by the developer withadditional programming details as needed.

Also, or in addition, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can supportgoal-based automated programming. For example, the user interfacecomponent 204 can allow the user to specify production goals for anautomation system being designed (e.g., specifying that a bottling plantbeing designed must be capable of producing at least 5000 bottles persecond during normal operation) and any other relevant designconstraints applied to the design project (e.g., budget limitations,available floor space, available control cabinet space, etc.). Based onthis information, the project generation component 206 will generateportions of the system project 302 to satisfy the specified design goalsand constraints. Portions of the system project 302 that can begenerated in this manner can include, but are not limited to, device andequipment selections (e.g., definitions of how many pumps, controllers,stations, conveyors, drives, or other assets will be needed to satisfythe specified goal), associated device configurations (e.g., tuningparameters, network settings, drive parameters, etc.), control coding,or HMI screens suitable for visualizing the automation system beingdesigned.

Some embodiments of the project generation component 206 can alsogenerate at least some of the project code for system project 302 basedon knowledge of parts that have been ordered for the project beingdeveloped. This can involve accessing the customer's account informationmaintained by an equipment vendor to identify devices that have beenpurchased for the project. Based on this information the projectgeneration component 206 can add appropriate automation objects 222 andassociated code modules 508 corresponding to the purchased assets,thereby providing a starting point for project development.

Some embodiments of project generation component 206 can also monitorcustomer-specific design approaches for commonly programmed functions(e.g., pumping applications, batch processes, palletizing operations,etc.) and generate recommendations for design modules (e.g., codemodules 508, visualizations 510, etc.) that the user may wish toincorporate into a current design project based on an inference of thedesigner's goals and learned approaches to achieving the goal. To thisend, some embodiments of project generation component 206 can beconfigured to monitor design input 512 over time and, based on thismonitoring, learn correlations between certain design actions (e.g.,addition of certain code modules or snippets to design projects,selection of certain visualizations, etc.) and types of industrialassets, industrial sequences, or industrial processes being designed.Project generation component 206 can record these learned correlationsand generate recommendations during subsequent project developmentsessions based on these correlations. For example, if project generationcomponent 206 determines, based on analysis of design input 512, that adesigner is currently developing a control project involving a type ofindustrial equipment that has been programmed and/or visualized in thepast in a repeated, predictable manner, the project generation component206 can instruct user interface component 204 to render recommendeddevelopment steps or code modules 508 the designer may wish toincorporate into the system project 302 based on how this equipment wasconfigured and/or programmed in the past.

In some embodiments, IDE system 202 can also store and implementguardrail templates 506 that define design guardrails intended to ensurethe project's compliance with internal or external design standards.Based on design parameters defined by one or more selected guardrailtemplates 506, user interface component 204 can provide, as a subset ofdesign feedback 518, dynamic recommendations or other types of feedbackdesigned to guide the developer in a manner that ensures compliance ofthe system project 302 with internal or external requirements orstandards (e.g., certifications such as TUV certification, in-housedesign standards, industry-specific or vertical-specific designstandards, etc.). This feedback 518 can take the form of text-basedrecommendations (e.g., recommendations to rewrite an indicated portionof control code to comply with a defined programming standard), syntaxhighlighting, error highlighting, auto-completion of code snippets, orother such formats. In this way, IDE system 202 can customize designfeedback 518—including programming recommendations, recommendations ofpredefined code modules 508 or visualizations 510, error and syntaxhighlighting, etc.—in accordance with the type of industrial systembeing developed and any applicable in-house design standards.

Guardrail templates 506 can also be designed to maintain compliance withglobal best practices applicable to control programming or other aspectsof project development. For example, user interface component 204 maygenerate and render an alert if a developer's control programing isdeemed to be too complex as defined by criteria specified by one or moreguardrail templates 506. Since different verticals (e.g., automotive,pharmaceutical, oil and gas, food and drug, marine, etc.) must adhere todifferent standards and certifications, the IDE system 202 can maintaina library of guardrail templates 506 for different internal and externalstandards and certifications, including customized user-specificguardrail templates 506. These guardrail templates 506 can be classifiedaccording to industrial vertical, type of industrial application, plantfacility (in the case of custom in-house guardrail templates 506) orother such categories. During development, project generation component206 can select and apply a subset of guardrail templates 506 determinedto be relevant to the project currently being developed, based on adetermination of such aspects as the industrial vertical to which theproject relates, the type of industrial application being programmed(e.g., flow control, web tension control, a certain batch process,etc.), or other such aspects. Project generation component 206 canleverage guardrail templates 506 to implement rules-based programming,whereby programming feedback (a subset of design feedback 518) such asdynamic intelligent autocorrection, type-aheads, or coding suggestionsare rendered based on encoded industry expertise and best practices(e.g., identifying inefficiencies in code being developed andrecommending appropriate corrections).

Users can also run their own internal guardrail templates 506 againstcode provided by outside vendors (e.g., OEMs) to ensure that this codecomplies with in-house programming standards. In such scenarios,vendor-provided code can be submitted to the IDE system 202, and projectgeneration component 206 can analyze this code in view of in-housecoding standards specified by one or more custom guardrail templates506. Based on results of this analysis, user interface component 204 canindicate portions of the vendor-provided code (e.g., using highlights,overlaid text, etc.) that do not conform to the programming standardsset forth by the guardrail templates 506, and display suggestions formodifying the code in order to bring the code into compliance. As analternative or in addition to recommending these modifications, someembodiments of project generation component 206 can be configured toautomatically modify the code in accordance with the recommendations tobring the code into conformance.

In making coding suggestions as part of design feedback 518, projectgeneration component 206 can invoke selected code modules 508 stored ina code module database (e.g., on memory 220). These code modules 508comprise standardized coding segments for controlling common industrialtasks or applications (e.g., palletizing, flow control, web tensioncontrol, pick-and-place applications, conveyor control, etc.). In someembodiments, code modules 508 can be categorized according to one ormore of an industrial vertical (e.g., automotive, food and drug, oil andgas, textiles, marine, pharmaceutical, etc.), an industrial application,or a type of machine or device to which the code module 508 isapplicable. In some embodiments, project generation component 206 caninfer a programmer's current programming task or design goal based onprogrammatic input being provided by a the programmer (as a subset ofdesign input 512), and determine, based on this task or goal, whetherone of the pre-defined code modules 508 may be appropriately added tothe control program being developed to achieve the inferred task orgoal. For example, project generation component 206 may infer, based onanalysis of design input 512, that the programmer is currentlydeveloping control code for transferring material from a first tank toanother tank, and in response, recommend inclusion of a predefined codemodule 508 comprising standardized or frequently utilized code forcontrolling the valves, pumps, or other assets necessary to achieve thematerial transfer.

Customized guardrail templates 506 can also be defined to capturenuances of a customer site that should be taken into consideration inthe project design. For example, a guardrail template 506 could recordthe fact that the automation system being designed will be installed ina region where power outages are common, and will factor thisconsideration when generating design feedback 518; e.g., by recommendingimplementation of backup uninterruptable power supplies and suggestinghow these should be incorporated, as well as recommending associatedprogramming or control strategies that take these outages into account.

IDE system 202 can also use guardrail templates 506 to guide userselection of equipment or devices for a given design goal; e.g., basedon the industrial vertical, type of control application (e.g., sheetmetal stamping, die casting, palletization, conveyor control, webtension control, batch processing, etc.), budgetary constraints for theproject, physical constraints at the installation site (e.g., availablefloor, wall or cabinet space; dimensions of the installation space;etc.), equipment already existing at the site, etc. Some or all of theseparameters and constraints can be provided as design input 512, and userinterface component 204 can render the equipment recommendations as asubset of design feedback 518. In some embodiments, project generationcomponent 206 can also determine whether some or all existing equipmentcan be repurposed for the new control system being designed. Forexample, if a new bottling line is to be added to a production area,there may be an opportunity to leverage existing equipment since somebottling lines already exist. The decision as to which devices andequipment can be reused will affect the design of the new controlsystem. Accordingly, some of the design input 512 provided to the IDEsystem 202 can include specifics of the customer's existing systemswithin or near the installation site. In some embodiments, projectgeneration component 206 can apply artificial intelligence (AI) ortraditional analytic approaches to this information to determine whetherexisting equipment specified in design in put 512 can be repurposed orleveraged. Based on results of this analysis, project generationcomponent 206 can generate, as design feedback 518, a list of any newequipment that may need to be purchased based on these decisions.

In some embodiments, IDE system 202 can offer design recommendationsbased on an understanding of the physical environment within which theautomation system being designed will be installed. To this end,information regarding the physical environment can be submitted to theIDE system 202 (as part of design input 512) in the form of 2D or 3Dimages or video of the plant environment. This environmental informationcan also be obtained from an existing digital twin of the plant, or byanalysis of scanned environmental data obtained by a wearable ARappliance in some embodiments. Project generation component 206 cananalyze this image, video, or digital twin data to identify physicalelements within the installation area (e.g., walls, girders, safetyfences, existing machines and devices, etc.) and physical relationshipsbetween these elements. This can include ascertaining distances betweenmachines, lengths of piping runs, locations and distances of wiringharnesses or cable trays, etc. Based on results of this analysis,project generation component 206 can add context to schematics generatedas part of system project 302, generate recommendations regardingoptimal locations for devices or machines (e.g., recommending a minimumseparation between power and data cables), or make other refinements tothe system project 302. At least some of this design data can begenerated based on physics-based rules 516, which can be referenced byproject generation component 206 to determine such physical designspecifications as minimum safe distances from hazardous equipment (whichmay also factor into determining suitable locations for installation ofsafety devices relative to this equipment, given expected human orvehicle reaction times defined by the physics-based rules 516), materialselections capable of withstanding expected loads, piping configurationsand tuning for a specified flow control application, wiring gaugessuitable for an expected electrical load, minimum distances betweensignal wiring and electromagnetic field (EMF) sources to ensurenegligible electrical interference on data signals, or other such designfeatures that are dependent on physical rules.

In an example use case, relative locations of machines and devicesspecified by physical environment information submitted to the IDEsystem 202 can be used by the project generation component 206 togenerate design data for an industrial safety system. For example,project generation component 206 can analyze distance measurementsbetween safety equipment and hazardous machines and, based on thesemeasurements, determine suitable placements and configurations of safetydevices and associated safety controllers that ensure the machine willshut down within a sufficient safety reaction time to prevent injury(e.g., in the event that a person runs through a light curtain).

In some embodiments, project generation component 206 can also analyzephotographic or video data of an existing machine to determine inlinemechanical properties such as gearing or camming and factor thisinformation into one or more guardrail templates 506 or designrecommendations.

As noted above, the system project 302 generated by IDE system 202 for agiven automaton system being designed can be built upon an object-basedarchitecture that uses automation objects 222 as building blocks. FIG. 6is a diagram illustrating an example system project 302 thatincorporates automation objects 222 into the project model. In thisexample, various automation objects 222 representing analogousindustrial devices, systems, or assets of an automation system (e.g., aprocess, tanks, valves, pumps, etc.) have been incorporated into systemproject 302 as elements of a larger project data model 602. The projectdata model 602 also defines hierarchical relationships between theseautomation objects 222. According to an example relationship, a processautomation object representing a batch process may be defined as aparent object to a number of child objects representing devices andequipment that carry out the process, such as tanks, pumps, and valves.Each automation object 222 has associated therewith object properties orattributes specific to its corresponding industrial asset (e.g., thosediscussed above in connection with FIG. 4), including executable controlprogramming for controlling the asset (or for coordinating the actionsof the asset with other industrial assets) and visualizations that canbe used to render relevant information about the asset during runtime.

At least some of the attributes of each automation object 222—includingtesting scripts associated with the automation objects 222, to bediscussed in more detail herein—are default properties defined by theIDE system 202 based on encoded industry expertise pertaining to theasset represented by the objects. Other properties can be modified oradded by the developer as needed (via design input 512) to customize theobject 222 for the particular asset and/or industrial application forwhich the system projects 302 is being developed. This can include, forexample, associating customized control code, HMI screens, ARpresentations, or help files associated with selected automation objects222. In this way, automation objects 222 can be created and augmented asneeded during design for consumption or execution by target controldevices during runtime.

Once development and testing on a system project 302 has been completed,commissioning tools supported by the IDE system 202 can simplify theprocess of commissioning the project in the field. When the systemproject 302 for a given automation system has been completed, the systemproject 302 can be deployed to one or more target control devices forexecution. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating commissioning of a systemproject 302. Project deployment component 208 can compile or otherwisetranslate a completed system project 302 into one or more executablefiles or configuration files that can be stored and executed onrespective target industrial devices of the automation system (e.g.,industrial controllers 118, HMI terminals 114 or other types ofvisualization systems, motor drives 710, telemetry devices, visionsystems, safety relays, etc.).

Conventional control program development platforms require the developerto specify the type of industrial controller (e.g., the controller'smodel number) on which the control program will run prior todevelopment, thereby binding the control programming to a specifiedcontroller. Controller-specific guardrails are then enforced duringprogram development which limit how the program is developed given thecapabilities of the selected controller. By contrast, some embodimentsof the IDE system 202 can abstract project development from the specificcontroller type, allowing the designer to develop the system project 302as a logical representation of the automation system in a manner that isagnostic to where and how the various control aspects of system project302 will run. Once project development is complete and system project302 is ready for commissioning, the user can specify (via user interfacecomponent 204) target devices on which respective aspects of the systemproject 302 are to be executed. In response, an allocation engine of theproject deployment component 208 will translate aspects of the systemproject 302 to respective executable files formatted for storage andexecution on their respective target devices.

For example, system project 302 may include—among other projectaspects—control code, visualization screen definitions, and motor driveparameter definitions. Upon completion of project development, a usercan identify which target devices—including an industrial controller118, an HMI terminal 114, and a motor drive 710—are to execute orreceive these respective aspects of the system project 302. Projectdeployment component 208 can then translate the controller code definedby the system project 302 to a control program file 702 formatted forexecution on the specified industrial controller 118 and send thiscontrol program file 702 to the controller 118 (e.g., via plant network116). Similarly, project deployment component 208 can translate thevisualization definitions and motor drive parameter definitions to avisualization application 704 and a device configuration file 708,respectively, and deploy these files to their respective target devicesfor execution and/or device configuration.

In general, project deployment component 208 performs any conversionsnecessary to allow aspects of system project 302 to execute on thespecified devices. Any inherent relationships, handshakes, or datasharing defined in the system project 302 are maintained regardless ofhow the various elements of the system project 302 are distributed. Inthis way, embodiments of the IDE system 202 can decouple the projectfrom how and where the project is to be run. This also allows the samesystem project 302 to be commissioned at different plant facilitieshaving different sets of control equipment. That is, some embodiments ofthe IDE system 202 can allocate project code to different target devicesas a function of the particular devices found on-site. IDE system 202can also allow some portions of the project file to be commissioned asan emulator or on a cloud-based controller.

As an alternative to having the user specify the target control devicesto which the system project 302 is to be deployed, some embodiments ofIDE system 202 can actively connect to the plant network 116 anddiscover available devices, ascertain the control hardware architecturepresent on the plant floor, infer appropriate target devices forrespective executable aspects of system project 302, and deploy thesystem project 302 to these selected target devices. As part of thiscommissioning process, IDE system 202 can also connect to remoteknowledgebases (e.g., web-based or cloud-based knowledgebases) todetermine which discovered devices are out of date or require firmwareupgrade to properly execute the system project 302. In this way, the IDEsystem 202 can serve as a link between device vendors and a customer'splant ecosystem via a trusted connection in the cloud.

Copies of system project 302 can be propagated to multiple plantfacilities having varying equipment configurations using smartpropagation, whereby the project deployment component 208 intelligentlyassociates project components with the correct industrial asset orcontrol device even if the equipment on-site does not perfectly matchthe defined target (e.g., if different pump types are found at differentsites). For target devices that do not perfectly match the expectedasset, project deployment component 208 can calculate the estimatedimpact of running the system project 302 on non-optimal target equipmentand generate warnings or recommendations for mitigating expecteddeviations from optimal project execution.

As noted above, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can be embodied on acloud platform. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example architecturein which cloud-based IDE services 802 are used to develop and deployindustrial applications to a plant environment. In this example, theindustrial environment includes one or more industrial controllers 118,HMI terminals 114, motor drives 710, servers 801 running higher levelapplications (e.g., ERP, MES, etc.), and other such industrial assets.These industrial assets are connected to a plant network 116 (e.g., acommon industrial protocol network, an Ethernet/IP network, etc.) thatfacilitates data exchange between industrial devices on the plant floor.Plant network 116 may be a wired or a wireless network. In theillustrated example, the high-level servers 810 reside on a separateoffice network 108 that is connected to the plant network 116 (e.g.,through a router 808 or other network infrastructure device).

In this example, IDE system 202 resides on a cloud platform 806 andexecutes as a set of cloud-based IDE service 802 that are accessible toauthorized remote client devices 504. Cloud platform 806 can be anyinfrastructure that allows shared computing services (such as IDEservices 802) to be accessed and utilized by cloud-capable devices.Cloud platform 806 can be a public cloud accessible via the Internet bydevices 504 having Internet connectivity and appropriate authorizationsto utilize the IDE services 802. In some scenarios, cloud platform 806can be provided by a cloud provider as a platform-as-a-service (PaaS),and the IDE services 802 can reside and execute on the cloud platform806 as a cloud-based service. In some such configurations, access to thecloud platform 806 and associated IDE services 802 can be provided tocustomers as a subscription service by an owner of the IDE services 802.Alternatively, cloud platform 806 can be a private cloud operatedinternally by the industrial enterprise (the owner of the plantfacility). An example private cloud platform can comprise a set ofservers hosting the IDE services 802 and residing on a corporate networkprotected by a firewall.

Cloud-based implementations of IDE system 202 can facilitatecollaborative development by multiple remote developers who areauthorized to access the IDE services 802. When a system project 302 isready for deployment, the project 302 can be commissioned to the plantfacility via a secure connection between the office network 108 or theplant network 116 and the cloud platform 806. As discussed above, theindustrial IDE services 802 can translate system project 302 to one ormore appropriate executable files—control program files 702,visualization applications 704, device configuration files 708, systemconfiguration files 812—and deploy these files to the appropriatedevices in the plant facility to facilitate implementation of theautomation project.

To mitigate the need to write test scripts to test and debug systemproject 302, IDE system 202 can support a testing framework thatverifies operation of the project 302 at all levels. As part of thistesting framework, automation objects 222 can include, among theirvarious properties and attributes discussed above in connection withFIG. 4, associated testing elements that can be used to validate thesystem project 302 across a range of relevant scenarios. FIG. 9 is adiagram illustrating testing of an example system project 302 by the IDEsystem's project testing component 210. As noted above, the project datamodel 602 that serves as a basis for system project 302 defineshierarchical relationships between automation objects 222, which canrepresent aspects of an automation system such as industrial assets(e.g., controllers, tanks, valves, vats, industrial robots, pumps,etc.), industrial processes, industrial devices, or other systemaspects. In addition to other properties and attributes associated withthe automation objects 222 as discussed above in connection with FIG. 4(e.g., logic elements, visualization elements, etc.), automation objects222 can also include test properties as part of a global testingframework supported by the IDE system 202. These test properties caninclude object-specific test scripts 902 designed to test and debug theautomation object 222 and associated aspects of system project 302 thatreference the object 222. The object's test properties can also includeobject-specific test scenario definitions 904 that define one or moretest scenarios that may beneficially be run against the automationobject 222 and associated project elements that reference the object222. The test scenario definitions 904 can be designed based onindustrial expertise regarding the industrial asset or processrepresented by the automation object 222.

Automation objects 222 can be provided with pre-bundled test scripts 902and/or test scenario definitions 904 that are specific to the type ofindustrial asset represented by the automation object 222. During orafter development of system project 302 as described above, the IDEsystem's project testing component 210 can execute test scripts 902associated with one or more selected automation objects 222 asappropriate to verify proper responses of the system project 302,thereby validating the project. To this end, test scripts 902 can definesimulated test inputs 912 to be provided to the automation object 222and/or associated project code in which the object 222 is used, as wellas expected responses of the automation object 222 and its associatedproject code to the simulated inputs 912.

According to an example testing procedure, project testing component 210can execute one or more test scripts 902 associated with respective oneor more automation objects 222 against system project 302. Execution ofthe test scripts 902 can involve, for example, feeding simulated testinputs 912 to control code or other elements of system project 302according to a sequence defined by the test scripts 902, setting valuesof digital or analog program variables defined by the system project 302according to a defined sequence, initiating control routines of thesystem project 302 according to a defined sequence, testing animationobjects or other visualization elements defined by the system project302, verifying data linkages between control routines, verifyingrelationships between program elements and drawing elements, confirmingthat device configuration settings or parameter values are appropriatefor a given industrial application being carried out by the systemproject 302, or otherwise interacting with system project 302 accordingto testing procedures defined by the test scripts 902. During testing,the project testing component 210 can monitor test results 906 orresponses of the system project 302 to the test interactions defined bythe test scripts 902 and determine whether these test results 906 matchexpected results defined by the test scripts 902. In this way, properoperation of the system project 302 can be verified prior to deploymentwithout the need to develop custom test scripts to debug the systemproject code.

In some test scenarios, test scripts 902 can define testing sequencesthat are applied to the system project 302 as a whole in a holisticmanner rather than to a specific control program or routine. Forexample, the project testing component 210 can execute test scripts 902that verify linkages or relationships across design platforms—e.g.,control code, visualization applications, electrical drawings, panellayout definitions, wiring schedules, piping diagrams, etc.—that mayotherwise not be tested.

If the test results 906 indicate an improper operation of one or moreaspects of system project 302, project testing component 210 maygenerate and render one or more design recommendations 908 indicatingpossible modifications to the system project 302 that would correctoperation of the project. These design recommendations 908 may include,for example, control code modifications or replacements, recommendedcorrections of data tag addresses, recommended corrections to HMIgraphical object references, recommended corrections to mechanical orelectrical drawings for consistency with the control code (e.g., to adda missing output device to an electrical drawing corresponding to anoutput device referenced by the control programming), recommendedmodifications to an industrial device's configuration parameters, orother such corrections.

The testing properties of some automation objects 222 may definemultiple test scenarios 904 that should be run on the object 222 and itscorresponding control code and project elements to ensure comprehensivetesting of the object 222 and related code. These scenarios 904 arebased on pre-learned industrial expertise relating to the industrialasset or process represented by the automation objects and its relatedproject elements. In some implementations, each defined test scenario904 may have its own associated test script 902, or may define aparticular way to apply the test script 902 (e.g., which routines of thesystem project's control code to validate, which other project elementsshould be cross-referenced for validation purposes, etc.). Duringtesting of the system project 302, project testing component 210 canexecute the one or more test scripts 902 in accordance with each definedtest scenario 904 in sequence in order to comprehensively validateproper operation of the system project 302 across all platforms (controlprogramming, visualization configuration, drawings, deviceconfigurations, etc.).

In some embodiments, project testing component 210 can also beconfigured to generate a validation checklist based on analysis of thesystem project 302, and output this validation checklist via the userinterface component 204. This validation checklist can provideinstructions regarding on-site tests and checks that should be performedin connection with commissioning the automation system for which systemproject 302 is being developed. These may comprise tests that should beperformed on the automation system hardware and electrical connectionsthat cannot be performed via testing of the system project 302 alone.Example validation checklist may include lists of I/O points whoseconnectivity should be verified, instructions to visually inspectpanel-mounted equipment, sequences of manual operator panel interactionsthat should be performed to verify proper machine operation, or othersuch information.

Some embodiments of IDE system 202 can allow end users to develop andrun their own custom test scripts on projects 302 developed on the IDEsystem 202. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating creation of custom testscripts 1002 for validating a system project 302. In this example, auser can submit custom test scripts 1006 to the IDE system 202 andassociate these test scripts with selected automation objects 222.During development of the custom test scripts 1002, test scriptingcomponent 212 can render (via user interface component 204) scriptingfeedback 1004 to guide the user through the custom scripting process.This feedback 1004 can include, for example, test script formattingrecommendations, recommendations regarding which aspects of the systemproject 302 should be tested based on an inferred type of industrialapplication or industrial vertical for which the project 302 is beingdeveloped, or other such feedback. Upon completion of the custom testscript 1002, test scripting component 212 can supplement or replaceexisting test scripts associated with the selected automation objectwith the custom test script 1002 submitted by the user. As analternative to associating the custom script 1002 with an automationobject 222, custom test script 1002 may be associated with a codesegment or module defined within the system project 302, such that thetest script 1002 is executed whenever the associated code segment ismodified to verify that the modifications have not invalidated portionsof the system project 302.

Often, changes to industrial control code that has already been testedmay cause unforeseen changes in the operation of other parts of the codeaffected by the change. Conventionally, modifications to control codemust be manually retested since developers may not be sure of whichother parts of the code will be impacted by a modification. This oftendiscourages designers from making changes to a control project aftertesting, given the amount of re-testing required. In contrast to thisapproach, since execution of test scripts 902 are part of an integratedtesting framework supported by the IDE system 202 described herein,subsequent modifications to the system project 302 can invoke executionof appropriate pre-defined test scripts 902 on portions of the systemproject 302 known to be affected by the modifications. FIG. 11 is adiagram illustrating project interdependency analysis performed by theIDE system 202. In some embodiments, IDE system 202 can include aproject analysis component 214 that executes interdependency analysis1108 on a completed or in-development system project 302. This analysis1108 identifies project interdependencies 1106 across the system project302, including but not limited to programmatic relationships ordependencies between control code segments or routines, dependenciesbetween control code segments and visualization elements, dependenciesbetween control code and engineering drawings (e.g., I/O drawings,electrical drawings, panel layout drawings, etc.), or other suchrelationships. In some embodiments, project analysis component 214 canlearn these interdependencies 1106 by executing an interdependencycrawler that performs regression analysis to learn interdependenciesbetween code segments and/or other elements of the system project 302.Project analysis component 214 can also identify hierarchicalrelationships between automation objects and/or control code routines ormodules defined by the project data model 602. These hierarchicalrelationships may be used by the project testing component 210 todetermine which portions of the control code should be re-tested inresponse to a change to one of the portions. Project analysis component214 can then train project testing component 210 with these learnedproject interdependencies 1106 for the purpose of subsequent projectvalidations.

For example, as noted above, the IDE system 202 can support associationof validated test scripts 902 with respective automation objects 222 orrespective portions of control code. If a portion of the systemproject's control code is changed by a developer, project testingcomponent 210 can identify which parts of the system project 302 need tobe re-tested based on knowledge of which other aspects of the systemproject 302 may be affected by the modification, as determined based onthe learned project interdependencies 1106. Based on theseinterdependencies, project testing component 210 will re-execute theappropriate test scripts 902 in order to re-verify portions of thesystem project 302 that may have been affected by the modification. Inthis way, the IDE system 202 can determine how much re-testing isrequired to validate a given modification to the system project 302.

In some embodiments, industrial IDE system 202 can also supportcontext-based testing. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating generation ofcontext-based test scripts 1202 based on an analysis of the systemproject's properties. According to this approach, project analysiscomponent 214 performs an analysis 1208 on a system project 302 todetermine one or more properties of the project 1206 and self-generatesvalidation and verification routines in the form of contextual testscripts 1202 to be executed against the system project 302 based onthese properties 1206. For example, project analysis component 214 maygenerate a contextual test script 1202 based on an inference of the typeof automation system or project for which system project 302 is beingdeveloped. In this regard, project testing component 210 may infer thetype of automation system or application based on recognition of certaintypes of control programming, code modules 508, or visualizations 510used in the project 302. Based on this knowledge of the type ofautomation system or application, the project testing component 210 canleverage encoded industrial expertise to generate a suitable set ofapplication-specific contextual test scripts 1202, which can be runagainst the system project 302 by project testing component 210. Thesecontextual test scripts 1202 can be generated based on pre-programmedknowledge of which system aspects should be verified given the type ofautomation project being designed.

In some embodiments, the project analysis component 214 may alsoidentify an industrial vertical to which the system project 302 relates(e.g., automotive, oil and gas, food and drug, etc.), and generatecontextual test scripts 1202 based on the identified vertical. In thisregard, it may be known that certain industrial verticals mandateparticular testing methodologies in connection with validatingindustrial control programming or other aspects of a system project, andthese testing methodologies can be implemented by contextual testscripts 1202 generated by the project analysis component 214 as afunction of the identified vertical.

FIGS. 13-16 illustrate various methodologies in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the subject application. While, for purposes ofsimplicity of explanation, the one or more methodologies shown hereinare shown and described as a series of acts, it is to be understood andappreciated that the subject innovation is not limited by the order ofacts, as some acts may, in accordance therewith, occur in a differentorder and/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and describedherein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand andappreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as aseries of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram.Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement amethodology in accordance with the innovation. Furthermore, interactiondiagram(s) may represent methodologies, or methods, in accordance withthe subject disclosure when disparate entities enact disparate portionsof the methodologies. Further yet, two or more of the disclosed examplemethods can be implemented in combination with each other, to accomplishone or more features or advantages described herein.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example methodology 1300 for validating anindustrial automation system project. Initially at 1302, industrialdesign data is received via interaction with an industrial IDE system.The industrial design data can be submitted in the form of one or moreof industrial controller programming (e.g., ladder logic, sequentialfunction charts, scripted control code such as an industrial DSL, etc.),HMI screen development input, industrial device or equipment selections,engineering drawing input, etc. In some embodiments, the industrialdesign data can also include completed engineering drawings (e.g., P&IDdrawings, electrical drawings, mechanical drawings, etc.), which can beparsed and analyzed by the industrial IDE to identify components of theindustrial automation system being designed (e.g., industrial devices,machines, equipment, conduit, piping, etc.) as well as functional andphysical relationships between these components.

Design data can also comprise images or video in some embodiments. Forexample, an image or video of an installation site at which theindustrial automation system being designed is to be installed can besubmitted to the industrial IDE, which can analyze the image or video toidentify physical elements within the installation area (e.g., walls,girders, safety fences, existing machines and devices, etc.) andphysical relationships between these elements (e.g., distances betweenmachines or other physical elements, lengths of piping runs, locationsand distances of wiring harnesses or cable trays, etc.). Based onresults of this drawing or image/video analysis, the industrial IDE canadd components to engineering schematics, generate control programmingor visualizations for components identified in the drawings or images,generate suitable device parameter settings, generate recommendationsregarding optimal locations for devices or machines, etc.

For embodiments of the industrial IDE that support goal-basedprogramming, the design data can also comprise an indication of adesired design goal and associated design constraints; e.g., in terms ofa required product or material output rate, a maximum total energyconsumption rate, constraints on installation space (which may beobtained based on images or video of the installation site, as describedabove), or other such parameters. Based on these design goals andconstraints, the industrial IDE can generate at least a portion of theautomation system project, including one or more of equipment or deviceselections, control code, drawings, visualizations, or device parameterscapable of satisfying the specified design goals in view of thespecified constraints.

At 1304, an industrial automation system project is generated based onthe design data received at step 1302. The system project comprises oneor more automation objects having associated test scripts for validatingthe automation object and portions of the control programming thatreference, or are otherwise associated with, the automation object. Thesystem project comprises one or more executable files that can bedeployed and executed on at least one of an industrial control device(e.g., a PLC or another type of industrial control device), ahuman-machine interface terminal, or another type of industrial device.These files can include, for example, industrial control programmingfiles, visualization application files, device configuration files, orother such executable or configuration components. The system projectcan also comprise other engineering documents generated by the IDEsystem based on the design input, including but not limited toengineering drawings (e.g., I/O drawings, electrical drawings, P&IDdrawings, etc.), bills of materials, installation instructions, or othersuch documents.

The automation objects are building blocks for the industrial automationsystem project and represent various types of real-world industrialassets or processes, including but not limited to pumps, tanks, values,motors, motor drives (e.g., variable frequency drives), industrialrobots, actuators (e.g., pneumatic or hydraulic actuators), or othersuch assets. The automation objects are associated with variousattributes or properties as a function of their represented asset orprocess, including one or more tests scripts that define a testingroutine for validating the control programming within which theautomation object is used. The test script can define the testingrouting in terms of a sequencing of simulated inputs to be fed to theautomation object and/or its associated control code, and expectedresponses of the code to the simulated inputs. In some embodiments, theautomation objects may be configured to dynamically modify theirassociated test scripts based on the programmatic context within whichthe automation objects are used (e.g., the type of automationapplication for which the system project is being developed, anindustrial vertical within which the system project is to be used, anindustrial function being carried out by the portion of the control codewithin which the automation object is used, etc.).

At 1306, the test scripts are executed to validate proper operation of aportion of the system project that comprises the automation object, aswell as related control code and other portions of the system project(e.g., visualization applications, engineering drawings, etc.) thatreference this portion of the system project. At 1308, a determinationis made as to whether the project is validated based on the response toof the system project to execution of the test scripts. If the projectis validated (YES at step 1308), the methodology ends. Alternatively, ifthe project is not validated (NO at step 1308), the project proceeds tostep 1310, where a recommendation for modifying the system project in amanner that will satisfy the test script is recommended. Thisrecommendation may comprise, for example, a recommended control codemodification or replacement, recommended corrections to data tagaddresses, recommended corrections to HMI graphical object references,recommended correction to mechanical or electrical drawings forconsistency with the control code, recommended modifications of anindustrial device's configuration parameters, or other such corrections.In addition or as an alternative to generating a recommendations, thecorrections may be automatically implemented in the system project atstep 1310.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example methodology 1400 for customizing andexecuting test scrips for validating an industrial control systemproject. At 1402, custom test scripts to be associated with selectedautomation objects supported by an industrial IDE system are received.At 1404, industrial design data is received via interaction with theindustrial IDE system. At 1406, an industrial automation system projectis generated based on the design data received at step 1404. The systemproject comprises one or more of the automation objects havingassociated test scripts defined at step 1404. Steps 1404 and 1406 may besimilar to steps 1302 and 1304, respectively, of methodology 1300.

At 1408, the custom test scripts are executed to validate properoperation of a portion of the system project comprising the automationobject, as well as related portions of control code and other aspects ofthe system project that reference the automation object. At 1410, adetermination is made as to whether the project is verified based on theresponse of the system project to execution of the custom test scripts.If the project is verified (YES at step 1410), the methodology ends.Alternatively, if the project is not validated (NO at step 1410), themethodology proceeds to step 1412, where a recommendation for modifyingthe system project in a manner that satisfies the custom test scripts isgenerated. Alternatively or in addition, the recommendations may beautomatically implemented by the IDE system. Step 1412 can be similar tostep 1310 of methodology 1300.

FIG. 15a illustrates a first part of an example methodology 1500 a forgenerating and executing context-based test scripts for an industrialautomation system project. Initially, at 1500 a, industrial design datais received via interaction with an industrial IDE system. At 1504, anindustrial automation system project is generated based on the designdata received at step 1504. The system project comprises one or moreautomation objects having associated test scripts. Steps 1502 and 1504can be similar to steps 1302 and 1304, respectively, of methodology1300.

At 1506, the automation system project generated at step 1504 isanalyzed to learn interdependencies between control code segments,automation objects, visualizations, and/or other project elementsdefined in the system project. The analysis carried out at step 1506 maybe, for example, a regression analysis that identifies which systemelements (e.g., control code segments, HMI visualization objects,automation objects, engineering drawing elements) determine behaviors orstates of other system elements.

At 1508, the test scripts are executed to validate proper operation ofthe system project. At 1510, a determination is made as to whether theproject is validated based on the response of the system project toexecution of the test scripts at step 1508. If the project is notvalidated (NO at step 1510), the methodology proceeds to step 1510,where a recommendation for modifying the system project in a manner thatsatisfies the test scripts is generated. Step 1514 can be similar tostep 1310 of methodology 1300. The methodology then returns to step1502, and steps 1502-1510 are repeated until the project is validated atstep 1510.

When the project has been validated (YES at step 1510), the methodologyproceeds to the second part 1500 b illustrated in FIG. 15b . At 1516, adetermination is made as to whether a modification to the validatedsystem project is received. If such a modification is received (YES atstep 1516), the methodology proceeds to step 1518, where portions of thesystem project that are affected by the modification are determinedbased on the interdependencies learned at step 1506. For example, if aparticular code segment is modified, the learned interdependencies arereferenced to determine what other portions of the control code—as wellas other elements of the system project—reference the code segment andmay therefore be affected by the modification. At 1520, a subset of thetest scripts corresponding to the portions of the system projectdetermined at step 1518 to be affected by the modification are executedto re-validate the system project. At 1522, a determination is made asto whether the project is re-validated based on the system response tothe test scripts executed at step 1520. If the project is notre-validated (NO at step 1522), the methodology proceeds to step 1524,where another recommendation for modifying the system project in amanner that satisfies the subset of the test scripts is generated.Alternatively or in addition, the recommended modification may beautomatically implemented by the industrial IDE system at step 1524. Ifthe project is re-validated based by the subset of the test scripts (YESat step 1522), the methodology ends.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example methodology 1600 for generating andexecuting context-based test scripts for an industrial automation systemproject. Initially, at 1602, industrial design data is received viainteraction with an industrial IDE system. At 1604, an industrialautomation system project is generated based on the design data receivedat step 1602. The system project comprises one or more automationobjects having associated test scripts. Steps 1602 and 1604 may besimilar to steps 1302 and 1304, respectively, of methodology 1300.

At 1606, the system project generated at step 1604 is analyzed to learnproperties of the system project that determine suitable testingscenarios for validating the project. Such properties may include, forexample, the type of automation system or application for which thesystem project is being developed, which may be determined based onrecognition of certain types of control programming, code modules, orvisualizations used in the project.

At 1608, contextual test scripts are generated and associated with thesystem project, where the contextual test scripts define testingroutines to be performed on the system project in accordance with theproperties discovered at step 1606. At 1610, the test scripts generatedat step 1608 are executed to validate operation of the system project.At 1612, a determination is made as to whether the project is validatedbased on execution of the test scrips at step 1610. If the project isnot validated (NO at step 1612), the methodology proceeds to step 1614,where a recommendation for modifying the system project in a manner thatsatisfies the test scrips is generated. Alternatively or in addition,the IDE system can automatically implement the recommendations in thesystem project at step 1614. If the project is validated at step 1612(YES at step 1612), the methodology ends.

Embodiments, systems, and components described herein, as well ascontrol systems and automation environments in which various aspects setforth in the subject specification can be carried out, can includecomputer or network components such as servers, clients, programmablelogic controllers (PLCs), automation controllers, communicationsmodules, mobile computers, on-board computers for mobile vehicles,wireless components, control components and so forth which are capableof interacting across a network. Computers and servers include one ormore processors—electronic integrated circuits that perform logicoperations employing electric signals—configured to execute instructionsstored in media such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory(ROM), a hard drives, as well as removable memory devices, which caninclude memory sticks, memory cards, flash drives, external hard drives,and so on.

Similarly, the term PLC or automation controller as used herein caninclude functionality that can be shared across multiple components,systems, and/or networks. As an example, one or more PLCs or automationcontrollers can communicate and cooperate with various network devicesacross the network. This can include substantially any type of control,communications module, computer, Input/Output (I/O) device, sensor,actuator, and human machine interface (HMI) that communicate via thenetwork, which includes control, automation, and/or public networks. ThePLC or automation controller can also communicate to and control variousother devices such as standard or safety-rated I/O modules includinganalog, digital, programmed/intelligent I/O modules, other programmablecontrollers, communications modules, sensors, actuators, output devices,and the like.

The network can include public networks such as the internet, intranets,and automation networks such as control and information protocol (CIP)networks including DeviceNet, ControlNet, safety networks, andEthernet/IP. Other networks include Ethernet, DH/DH+, Remote I/O,Fieldbus, Modbus, Profibus, CAN, wireless networks, serial protocols,and so forth. In addition, the network devices can include variouspossibilities (hardware and/or software components). These includecomponents such as switches with virtual local area network (VLAN)capability, LANs, WANs, proxies, gateways, routers, firewalls, virtualprivate network (VPN) devices, servers, clients, computers,configuration tools, monitoring tools, and/or other devices.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter, FIGS. 17 and 18 as well as the following discussion areintended to provide a brief, general description of a suitableenvironment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject mattermay be implemented. While the embodiments have been described above inthe general context of computer-executable instructions that can run onone or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that theembodiments can be also implemented in combination with other programmodules and/or as a combination of hardware and software.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, datastructures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer systemconfigurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor computersystems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, Internet of Things (IoT)devices, distributed computing systems, as well as personal computers,hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmableconsumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operativelycoupled to one or more associated devices.

The illustrated embodiments herein can be also practiced in distributedcomputing environments where certain tasks are performed by remoteprocessing devices that are linked through a communications network. Ina distributed computing environment, program modules can be located inboth local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically include a variety of media, which caninclude computer-readable storage media, machine-readable storage media,and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein differentlyfrom one another as follows. Computer-readable storage media ormachine-readable storage media can be any available storage media thatcan be accessed by the computer and includes both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable storage media or machine-readablestorage media can be implemented in connection with any method ortechnology for storage of information such as computer-readable ormachine-readable instructions, program modules, structured data orunstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can include, but are not limited to,random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electricallyerasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or othermemory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digitalversatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disc (BD) or other optical disk storage,magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, solid state drives or other solid statestorage devices, or other tangible and/or non-transitory media which canbe used to store desired information. In this regard, the terms“tangible” or “non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory orcomputer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude onlypropagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquishrights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media thatare not only propagating transitory signals per se.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local orremote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or otherdata retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect tothe information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information deliveryor transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refersto a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changedin such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By wayof example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media,such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless mediasuch as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 17, the example environment 1700 forimplementing various embodiments of the aspects described hereinincludes a computer 1702, the computer 1702 including a processing unit1704, a system memory 1706 and a system bus 1708. The system bus 1708couples system components including, but not limited to, the systemmemory 1706 to the processing unit 1704. The processing unit 1704 can beany of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessorsand other multi-processor architectures can also be employed as theprocessing unit 1704.

The system bus 1708 can be any of several types of bus structure thatcan further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memorycontroller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofcommercially available bus architectures. The system memory 1706includes ROM 1710 and RAM 1712. A basic input/output system (BIOS) canbe stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmableread only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routinesthat help to transfer information between elements within the computer1702, such as during startup. The RAM 1712 can also include a high-speedRAM such as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 1702 further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD)1714 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), one or more external storage devices 1716(e.g., a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 1716, a memory stick or flashdrive reader, a memory card reader, etc.) and an optical disk drive 1720(e.g., which can read or write from a CD-ROM disc, a DVD, a BD, etc.).While the internal HDD 1714 is illustrated as located within thecomputer 1702, the internal HDD 1714 can also be configured for externaluse in a suitable chassis (not shown). Additionally, while not shown inenvironment 1700, a solid state drive (SSD) could be used in additionto, or in place of, an HDD 1714. The HDD 1714, external storagedevice(s) 1716 and optical disk drive 1720 can be connected to thesystem bus 1708 by an HDD interface 1724, an external storage interface1726 and an optical drive interface 1728, respectively. The interface1724 for external drive implementations can include at least one or bothof Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other externaldrive connection technologies are within contemplation of theembodiments described herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media providenonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executableinstructions, and so forth. For the computer 1702, the drives andstorage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digitalformat. Although the description of computer-readable storage mediaabove refers to respective types of storage devices, it should beappreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storagemedia which are readable by a computer, whether presently existing ordeveloped in the future, could also be used in the example operatingenvironment, and further, that any such storage media can containcomputer-executable instructions for performing the methods describedherein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 1712,including an operating system 1730, one or more application programs1732, other program modules 1734 and program data 1736. All or portionsof the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also becached in the RAM 1712. The systems and methods described herein can beimplemented utilizing various commercially available operating systemsor combinations of operating systems.

Computer 1702 can optionally comprise emulation technologies. Forexample, a hypervisor (not shown) or other intermediary can emulate ahardware environment for operating system 1730, and the emulatedhardware can optionally be different from the hardware illustrated inFIG. 17. In such an embodiment, operating system 1730 can comprise onevirtual machine (VM) of multiple VMs hosted at computer 1702.Furthermore, operating system 1730 can provide runtime environments,such as the Java runtime environment or the .NET framework, forapplication programs 1732. Runtime environments are consistent executionenvironments that allow application programs 1732 to run on anyoperating system that includes the runtime environment. Similarly,operating system 1730 can support containers, and application programs1732 can be in the form of containers, which are lightweight,standalone, executable packages of software that include, e.g., code,runtime, system tools, system libraries and settings for an application.

Further, computer 1702 can be enable with a security module, such as atrusted processing module (TPM). For instance with a TPM, bootcomponents hash next in time boot components, and wait for a match ofresults to secured values, before loading a next boot component. Thisprocess can take place at any layer in the code execution stack ofcomputer 1702, e.g., applied at the application execution level or atthe operating system (OS) kernel level, thereby enabling security at anylevel of code execution.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 1702 throughone or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 1738, a touchscreen 1740, and a pointing device, such as a mouse 1742. Other inputdevices (not shown) can include a microphone, an infrared (IR) remotecontrol, a radio frequency (RF) remote control, or other remote control,a joystick, a virtual reality controller and/or virtual reality headset,a game pad, a stylus pen, an image input device, e.g., camera(s), agesture sensor input device, a vision movement sensor input device, anemotion or facial detection device, a biometric input device, e.g.,fingerprint or iris scanner, or the like. These and other input devicesare often connected to the processing unit 1704 through an input deviceinterface 1744 that can be coupled to the system bus 1708, but can beconnected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR interface, a BLUETOOTH®interface, etc.

A monitor 1744 or other type of display device can be also connected tothe system bus 1708 via an interface, such as a video adapter 1746. Inaddition to the monitor 1744, a computer typically includes otherperipheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 1702 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or moreremote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 1748. The remotecomputer(s) 1748 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, apersonal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainmentappliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typicallyincludes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer1702, although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device1750 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted includewired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 1752 and/orlarger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 1754. Such LAN and WANnetworking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, andfacilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all ofwhich can connect to a global communications network, e.g., theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1702 can beconnected to the local network 1752 through a wired and/or wirelesscommunication network interface or adapter 1756. The adapter 1756 canfacilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 1752, which canalso include a wireless access point (AP) disposed thereon forcommunicating with the adapter 1756 in a wireless mode.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1702 can includea modem 1758 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN1754 via other means for establishing communications over the WAN 1754,such as by way of the Internet. The modem 1758, which can be internal orexternal and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the systembus 1708 via the input device interface 1742. In a networkedenvironment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1702 orportions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device1750. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown areexample and other means of establishing a communications link betweenthe computers can be used.

When used in either a LAN or WAN networking environment, the computer1702 can access cloud storage systems or other network-based storagesystems in addition to, or in place of, external storage devices 1716 asdescribed above. Generally, a connection between the computer 1702 and acloud storage system can be established over a LAN 1752 or WAN 1754e.g., by the adapter 1756 or modem 1758, respectively. Upon connectingthe computer 1702 to an associated cloud storage system, the externalstorage interface 1726 can, with the aid of the adapter 1756 and/ormodem 1758, manage storage provided by the cloud storage system as itwould other types of external storage. For instance, the externalstorage interface 1726 can be configured to provide access to cloudstorage sources as if those sources were physically connected to thecomputer 1702.

The computer 1702 can be operable to communicate with any wirelessdevices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication,e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portabledata assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment orlocation associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk,news stand, store shelf, etc.), and telephone. This can include WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, thecommunication can be a predefined structure as with a conventionalnetwork or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

FIG. 18 is a schematic block diagram of a sample computing environment1800 with which the disclosed subject matter can interact. The samplecomputing environment 1800 includes one or more client(s) 1802. Theclient(s) 1802 can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads,processes, computing devices). The sample computing environment 1800also includes one or more server(s) 1804. The server(s) 1804 can also behardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices).The servers 1804 can house threads to perform transformations byemploying one or more embodiments as described herein, for example. Onepossible communication between a client 1802 and servers 1804 can be inthe form of a data packet adapted to be transmitted between two or morecomputer processes. The sample computing environment 1800 includes acommunication framework 1806 that can be employed to facilitatecommunications between the client(s) 1802 and the server(s) 1804. Theclient(s) 1802 are operably connected to one or more client datastore(s) 1808 that can be employed to store information local to theclient(s) 1802. Similarly, the server(s) 1804 are operably connected toone or more server data store(s) 1810 that can be employed to storeinformation local to the servers 1804.

What has been described above includes examples of the subjectinnovation. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivablecombination of components or methodologies for purposes of describingthe disclosed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art mayrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the subjectinnovation are possible. Accordingly, the disclosed subject matter isintended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variationsthat fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In particular and in regard to the various functions performed by theabove described components, devices, circuits, systems and the like, theterms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe suchcomponents are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, toany component which performs the specified function of the describedcomponent (e.g., a functional equivalent), even though not structurallyequivalent to the disclosed structure, which performs the function inthe herein illustrated exemplary aspects of the disclosed subjectmatter. In this regard, it will also be recognized that the disclosedsubject matter includes a system as well as a computer-readable mediumhaving computer-executable instructions for performing the acts and/orevents of the various methods of the disclosed subject matter.

In addition, while a particular feature of the disclosed subject mattermay have been disclosed with respect to only one of severalimplementations, such feature may be combined with one or more otherfeatures of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageousfor any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent thatthe terms “includes,” and “including” and variants thereof are used ineither the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intendedto be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”

In this application, the word “exemplary” is used to mean serving as anexample, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design describedherein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the wordexemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.

Various aspects or features described herein may be implemented as amethod, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programmingand/or engineering techniques. The term “article of manufacture” as usedherein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from anycomputer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computerreadable media can include but are not limited to magnetic storagedevices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips . . . ), opticaldisks [e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) . . . ],smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive . .. ).

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for developing industrial applications,comprising: a memory that stores executable components; and a processor,operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executablecomponents, the executable components comprising: a user interfacecomponent configured to render integrated development environment (IDE)interfaces and to receive, via interaction with the IDE interfaces,industrial design input that defines aspects of an industrial automationproject; a project generation component configured to generate systemproject data based on the industrial design input, wherein the systemproject data defines a system project comprising at least one of anexecutable industrial control program, an industrial visualizationapplication, or industrial device configuration data, and the systemproject data further comprises an automation object that represents anindustrial asset, the automation object comprising at least control codedesigned to control the industrial asset and a test script designed tovalidate a portion of the system project data that references theautomation object; and a project testing component configured to executethe test script to facilitate validation of the portion of the systemproject data.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the test script definesa sequence of simulated inputs to be injected into the system project bythe project testing component and an expected response of the systemproject to the simulated inputs.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein theautomation object further defines multiple test scenarios to be executedby the project testing component to facilitate the validation of theportion of the system project data.
 4. The system of claim 1, whereinthe executable components further comprise a test scripting componentconfigured to add a custom test script to the automation object inaccordance with custom test script input submitted via the userinterface component.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising aproject analysis component configured to analyze the system project datato identify one or more properties of the system project, to generate acontextual test script based on the one or more properties, and toassign the contextual test script to the automation object.
 6. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the one or more properties comprise at leastone of an industrial vertical to which the industrial automation projectrelates or an automation application performed by the industrialautomation project.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system projectdata comprises multiple automation objects that represent respectiveindustrial assets and that comprise respective test scripts designed tovalidation respective portions of the system project data that referencethe automation objects, and the executable components further comprise aproject analysis component configured to analyze the system project datato identify interdependencies between elements of the system project,wherein the project testing component is further configured to, inresponse to detecting a modification to a portion of the system project,determine a subset of the system project data affected by themodification based on the interdependencies, and execute a subset of thetest scripts associated with the subset of the system project data. 8.The system of claim 7, wherein the elements of the system projectcomprise at least one of control code segments, visualization objects,engineering drawing elements, or device configuration parameters.
 9. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the project analysis component is configuredto identify the interdependencies based on a regression analysisperformed on the system project data.
 10. The system of claim 1, whereinthe user interface component is further configured to, in response todetermining that one or more aspects of the system project are notvalidated by the test script, render a recommendation for modifying thesystem project in a manner that satisfies the test script.
 11. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the automation object represents at least oneof an industrial process, a controller, a control program, a tag withinthe control program, a machine, a motor, a motor drive, a telemetrydevice, a tank, a valve, a pump, an industrial safety device, anindustrial robot, or an actuator.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein theautomation object has associated therewith at least one of an input, anoutput, an analytic routine, an alarm, a security feature, or agraphical representation of an associated industrial asset.
 13. A methodfor developing industrial applications, comprising: rendering, by asystem comprising a processor, integrated development environment (IDE)interfaces on a client device; receiving, by the system via interactionwith the IDE interfaces, industrial design input that defines aspects ofan industrial control and monitoring project; generating, by the system,system project data based on the industrial design input, wherein thegenerating comprises generating at least one of an executable industrialcontrol program, an industrial visualization application, or industrialdevice configuration data, and the system project data comprises anautomation object that represents an industrial asset and has attributesassociated therewith, the attributes comprising at least control codeconfigured to control the industrial asset and a test script configuredto validate a portion of the system project data that references theautomation object; and executing, by the system, the test script againstthe system project data to facilitate validation of the system projectdata.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the executing comprisesinjecting a sequence of simulated inputs defined by the test script intothe industrial control and monitoring project and determining whether aresponse of the industrial control and monitoring project accords withan expected response defined by the test script.
 15. The method of claim13, further comprising: receiving, by the system, a custom test scriptsubmitted via the IDE interfaces; and associating, by the system, thecustom test script with the automation object.
 16. The method of claim13, further comprising: identifying, by the system based on an analysisof the system project data, one or more properties of the industrialcontrol and monitoring project, generating, by the system, a contextualtest script based on the one or more properties, and assigning, by thesystem, the contextual test script to the automation object.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the identifying comprises identifying atleast one of an industrial vertical to which the industrial control andmonitoring project relates or an automation application performed by theindustrial control and monitoring project.
 18. The method of claim 13,wherein the system project data comprises multiple automation objectsthat represent respective industrial assets and have respectiveattributes comprising at least control code configured to control therespective industrial assets and test scripts configured to validationrespective portions of the system project data that reference theautomation objects, and the method further comprises: analyzing, by thesystem, the system project data to identify interdependencies betweenelements of the industrial control and monitoring project; and inresponse to detecting a modification to a portion of the industrialcontrol and monitoring project: determining, by the system, a subset ofthe system project data affected by the modification based on theinterdependencies, and executing, by the system, a subset of the testscripts associated with the subset of the system project data.
 19. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereoninstructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising aprocessor to perform operations, the operations comprising: renderingintegrated development environment (IDE) interfaces on a client device;receiving, from the client device via interaction with the IDEinterfaces, industrial design input that defines control design aspectsof an industrial automation project; generating system project databased on the industrial design input, wherein the generating comprisesgenerating at least one of an executable industrial control program, anindustrial visualization application, or industrial device configurationdata, and the system project data has an automation object embeddedtherein, the automation object representing an industrial asset andcomprising at least control code configured to control the industrialasset and a test script configured to validate a portion of the systemproject data that references the automation object; and executing thetest script against the system project data to facilitate validation ofthe system project data.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 19, wherein the executing comprises injecting a sequence ofsimulated inputs defined by the test script into the industrialautomation project and determining whether a response of the industrialautomation project accords with an expected response defined by the testscript.